Comfort
by DrabbitDragonLord
Summary: It was in an instant that the King of Naboo was comforted by a small girl from Tattoine. *Genderbend *One-shot, semi-sequel to "One Moment"


_Hey, guys! So, I wanted to do some Star Wars fanfics for a while, ever since I saw "The Force Awakens" (which I LOVED!)_

 _Anyway, this came to me today, after having a shitty week._

 _Hell, we've all been there. We've had some weeks worse than others.  
_

 _And I realized... Padme in "The Phantom Menace" goes through a lot of shit. Think about it: she's a new queen, a company's threatening her planet, and everyone's telling her to leave. Then, she meets Anakin and she seems to... well... calm down a bit._

 _Unless that's just me since I am an advocate Anidala shipper XD._

 _Basically, Padme had a shitty week. Actually, she has a lot of shit thrown at her for the movies. And you know what? She_ deserves _some romance. And that's why Anakin suits her: he calms her down. He's there to tell her "You're good. You're okay. You can do this."_

 _Back to my first point... I had a talk with my mother about this week, and it made me feel better. Not 100%, but it was nice to know that someone was here to listen. And this is where I got my inspiration: just Anakin listening to Padme's worries._

 _Oh... and this is a continuation of my "Genderbent" one-shot "One Moment"._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Comfort**

Padlon had to admit, this was one of the worst weeks in his entire life.

Not only did the Trade Federation insist on making a blockade on Naboo, but the Trade _evaded_ the planet. Padlon tried to hide the mental image of the hundreds of ships entering the planet's atmosphere, and all he could do at the time was watch. Naboo... and the people... were still there, under the control of Nute Gunray and his droids.

 _Who knows what is happening to the Naboo?_

He had been relieved, when Senator Palpatine sent him the word that Chancellor Valorum had granted two Jedi Knights secretly to negotiate with Gunray. Hell, his hopes had been up high that perhaps _he_ could have negotiated with them. _Isn't that how King Amidalin got elected?_ he mused. _He_ _promised the Naboo that he could protect them from such threats._

However, the King's worries came back when the droids landed and took him hostage.

The Jedi, much to Amidalin's dismay, insisted on taking him and his guards to Coruscant, to plead the case to the Senate. How could they suggest such a thing? _He would have had a stroke_ , Padlon admitted to himself. It was only Sio Bibble, the adviser, who convinced Amidalin to escape to the Senate, and he insisted on staying behind to watch over the Naboo.

 _I only hope that Sio's okay,_ Padlon thought.

And to break down on a back-world planet... it was though the worst luck had been thrown on them. Padlon only went to help Qui-Gon because of... King Amidalin's curiosity with the planet. _An entire desert planet? What's next, and ice world?_ Padlon didn't mind going to help find parts, but did _Jar Jar_ to go with them?

Then he met the girl.

At first, he didn't pay much attention to her. It was a rather large shop, filled with a bunch of droids and mechanical things that he didn't understand, and she had been so quiet that he didn't see her. However, he soon realized that she had been watching him, despite the mess that Jar Jar was making in the shop.

 _Isn't it odd that this girl knows so much_? He wondered.

The girl, to whom he found out was called Anika Skywalker, figured out that he wasn't from Tatooine, despite the peasant clothes he wore. He soon decided not to keep anything hidden from her, especially after taking him, Qui-Gon, Artoo and Jar Jar to her home during a sandstorm. Not to mention that she bought them food and even showed Padlon the droid she was building.

 _Anika pulled back the cloth. "See? He's a protocol droid." She grinned. "Kitster and I found his head and a few parts in the junkyard, and I'm hoping he will help Mom."_

 _Padlon smiled. "He looks amazing! Does he have a name?" he asked._

 _Anika nodded. "Yea; he's C-3PO, mainly since he's a 3PO series protocol droid, although the model is like eighty years old." She giggled. "When I first powered him up, he started to rant how he was built in the Cybot Galactica, and served as an emissary for the Manakron system."_

 _"Impressive," Padlon said. "How'd you learn to build?"_

 _"Mom taught me, mostly," Anika admitted. "But I picked up a thing or two from visiting mechanics." She pressed a button and the eyes immediately lit up._

 _"Um… I can't seem to see anything…" Anika tugged on him, causing his other eye to light up. "Oh! That's much better!"_

 _Anika watched as the droid walked over to Artoo-Detoo. "After the storm, I'll show you my Pod-racer. I'm fixing it up."_

 _"I'd love to see it," Padlon agreed._

Qui-Gon then decided, for some odd reason, that they could bet for the ship's parts in the upcoming Boonta Eve race. Padlon, however, didn't agree. He feared that the Jedi was being too reckless, especially placing the willing girl's life in danger to whom they didn't know. Especially for someone who never even _competed_ in a race.

However, it worked out, in the end.

Anika, as it turned out, was the first human to have ever won the Boonta Eve Classics. The prize money had doubled, and Qui-Gon even sold the pod to one of the famous racers whom lost. Padlon wanted to congratulate Ani for her help and everything she had done for him and the group, but his thanks were cut short by Qui-Gon, insisting that they go back to the ship.

Padlon didn't admit it, but it was the first time he felt hope that week.

By the time Qui-Gon came back, with Anika, there had been a mysterious warrior who presumably followed them to Tattooine. Padlon immedately assumed that the warrior was there to stop the King from presenting the case to the Senate, although Padlon wondered why the warrior weilded a Jedi's lightsaber (later that night, Obi-Wan confirmed that it was a weapon of a Sith Lord).

Which lead to this moment.

Padlon walked passed the King and his guards to the back area of the ship. Both Jar Jar and Artoo slept quietly in the room, while Padlon activated a hologram, to which one of his fellow guards, Salor, had told him about. Padlon played the message, and a image of Sio Bibble came up.

" _The deaths are catescrophic! You must contact me!"_

Padlon did his best to keep his emotions intact. How could he just sit here, while the planet was in the clutches of the Trade Federation? The people could be suffering, and he was being a coward!

 _Don't contact him,_ Salor had warned. _The Jedi insisted it was a trap to locate us._

 _Bang!_

Startled, Padlon looked to the source of the noise.

Up against the wall was a small human, a small girl. A girl with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"Anika? What are you doing out of bed?" he asked. _Are you okay?_

She shrugged. "I hate space." Her teeth chattered.

 _Oh. The temperature._ Padlon walked over to her. "Yea, it's cold. Being from a hot planet, too hot for my liking, you wouldn't be used to that." He bent down and took the cloak off his uniform and tucked it around her. "Better?"

"Much," she agreed. She then tilted her head, and pointed her eyebrows. "Are you okay? You seem... sad."

Padlon sighed. _I can never keep anything from this girl, can I?_ "King Amidalin is ...worried about his people. They are suffering and he can't do anything about it. He hopes that the Senate will help, or intervene, but then..." he shook his head.

"I don't know what will happen," he confessed. And he meant it. Would the Senate help them out, or will they merely shrug the whole ordeal as some made-up ruse of an inexperienced boy ruling a planet?

"I wish I can help," Anika said.

He shook his head. "It's nothing that you do here, Ani. I'm afraid... we don't need a pilot's help here." _If only it can be that simple..._

"I know.." she sighed. Her eyes widened. "Oh!"

Anika reached into her pocket and took out something. She took one of Padlon's hands and placed the thing in his palm. "I made this for you, yesterday. It's a Jappor snippet, and it can give you good fortune." She pulled on the blanket. "It's so that you will remember me."

Padlon inspected what was placed in his hand. It was a necklace, twined with light cotton and a pendant hung from it. It was very small, but there was a lot of detail in it. He traced out the lines carved in it. He smiled. _It is really sweet_.

"It's amazing, Ani." He rubbed her arm, to keep her warm. _But it is to assure her, mostly_. "I could never forget someone like you."

Anika's eyes brightened. "Really?" She frowned. "But I'm just some _little girl_ from Tattooine."

"Oh, I'm sure the people who watched you race today would beg to differ," Padlon said, with a smile. "And you're here to become a Jedi, right?"

Anika nodded. "I hope so," she said. "Qui-Gon says that the Council has to test me, first. Then, if they accept me, then I have to train hard." She nodded to herself this time. "I've worked hard as a salve my entire life. I can work hard as a Jedi."

"When we reach the Capital, things will change, but I will still care about you, my friend."

"I care about you too, and you're really my only friend right now." She stayed quiet for a moment. "But is still-I still miss..."

"You miss your mother."

Anika shrugged. "Yes." She looked up at him. "Do you miss your mother sometimes?"

"Definitely," Padlon agreed.

"She'll be okay," Anika insisted, with a smile. "If she and the people of Naboo are anything like you, she'll be okay."

Padlon smiled, too. The hope in the little girl brought hope in him, as well. Maybe things would work out, and he will be able to go back home to his people.

 _Perhaps things will be okay, after all.  
_

 **The End.**


End file.
